Chandigarh, March 20 -- For the second consecutive year, the liquor vend in Palsora village, located near the Mohali border, has emerged as the top pick in the city, going for the highest-ever bid of Rs.16.71 crore, up from Rs.14 crore last year. The UT excise and taxation department successfully allotted 83 of the total 97 vends in the first e-auction for FY 2026-27 on Thursday, raking in Rs.496.81 crore in licence fee - 29% higher than the total reserve price of Rs.385.24 crore. The department also earned Rs.3.90 crore in participation fee through 195 bids during the auction, held at Hotel Mountview, Sector 10. Among other top bids, a vend in Dhanas attracted the highest bid of Rs.12.27 crore against a reserve price of Rs.9.62 crore, while a Sector 61 vend went for Rs.11.52 crore against a reserve price of Rs.8.21 crore. Several liquor vends in sectors also elicited competitive bids, with the vend in Sector 9 (Madhya Marg) leading at Rs.9.51 crore against a reserve price of Rs.5.31 crore. The Sector 27 vend fetched Rs.8.55 crore compared to its reserve price of Rs.4.36 crore, while the Sector 8 vend was auctioned for Rs.8.31 crore. The Sector 22-B vend was sold for Rs.7.55 crore against a base price of Rs.3.99 crore, while the Sector 11 vend fetched Rs.8.7 crore. However, officials noted that only a single bidder participated for Sector 11, limiting competition. Among other key locations, the Sector 7 vend, situated in the inner market, was auctioned for Rs.6.66 crore. The Sector 10 vend brought in Rs.6.30 crore against a reserve price of Rs.5.35 crore. The vends in Sector 16 and Sector 19 were both sold for Rs.5.55 crore, exceeding their respective reserve prices of Rs.4.97 crore and Rs.4.88 crore. In Sector 17, the 17-B vend earned the department Rs.7.11 crore, while the 17-D vend was sold for Rs.3.15 crore.. Officials expressed confidence that given the strong response, the remaining vends will also attract competitive bids, helping the administration exceed its revenue targets. In the ongoing financial year, the department has already collected Rs.863 crore in revenue as of March 15, nearing its target of Rs.900 crore. Licence fees accounted for the largest share at Rs.490 crore, followed by Rs.272 crore from excise levies, Rs.36 crore from various licences, and Rs.33 crore from assessment fees. Of the 97 liquor vends in the city, 88 were operational while the remaining units remained vacant due to lack of bidders. The auction these vends generated Rs.606.43 crore in licence fees, apart from Rs.4.56 crore in participation fee. The entire auction was conducted online, with bidders trained in the use of digital signatures and NIC-developed software. Manual submissions were not permitted. To prevent cartelisation and monopoly, the 2026-27 Excise Policy, which will come into force from April 1, caps allotment at a maximum of 10 licensing units per entity or group. Key features also include the reintroduction of liquor licences in departmental stores, permission for bar licensees to procure liquor from two nearby vends, enhanced security deposits for retail vends, and mandatory GPS tracking for liquor transportation. Meanwhile, Darshan Singh Kler, president of the Wine Contractors' Association, Chandigarh, filed a complaint with the excise and taxation commissioner, alleging that some bidders were allowed to submit documents after the prescribed deadline. He also alleged that certain participants failed to disclose mandatory association with other bidders, as required under Clause 14 of the policy....